Wells may comprise a plurality of wellbores. For example, a main wellbore may be drilled and one or more branch wellbores may be drilled off of the main wellbore. The branch wellbores may be referred to in some contexts as lateral wellbores. Wells comprising at least one lateral wellbore may be referred to in some contexts as multilateral wells. A transition joint may be used in completion of a multilateral well, for example to complete Technical Advance Multilateral (TAML) level 3 completions, to provide a useful transition between a parent wellbore and a branch wellbore bored off of the parent wellbore. A parent wellbore may be the main wellbore or may itself be a branch wellbore drilled off of the main wellbore or off of another branch wellbore.
Sealing off a formation proximate to the junction of the parent wellbore with the branch wellbore may be called for to avoid formation particulate matter, for example fines and/or sand, passing into the parent wellbore and/or the branch wellbore. Particulate matter in the wellbores may plug or prematurely wear production equipment and/or cause other problems. In some circumstances, a pressure differential may exist between the formation proximate to the junction of the parent wellbore with the branch wellbore. The pressure differential may exert unwanted stress on a seal of the transition joint.